FRIDAY MORNING SESSION, FEBRUARY 6, 1920 



(The meeting was called to order at 10.15 A. M. by President 

 Hudson). 



President Hudson : Before the symposium is taken up I will 

 ask Mr. LePrince, of the United States Public Health Service, to 

 say something to us this morning. I am sure you will all be very 

 much pleased to hear from Mr. LePrince. 



Mr. LePrince: I became very interested in what Dr. Headlee 

 said last night with regard to the state appropriation. Up to the 

 time of the war, outside of the State of New Jersey, I did not happen 

 to know of any state that appropriated money for mosquito-control 

 work. You know what work was done during the war period. You 

 may be glad to know that already five states that had never ap- 

 propriated one penny before have made state appropriations which 

 I would call preliminary appropriations, for we all think they are 

 going to be larger for mosquito-control work, varying from $10,000 

 to $24,000. One of the states which was thought to be past hope 

 appropriated $24,000 for mosquito control, and that appropriation, 

 I understand from the State Health Officer, is to be increased. 



It has been my misfortune or otherwise to have to collect funds. 

 Collecting funds is really a part of mosquito-control work. And I 

 was quite inexperienced in the matter. It was stated last night that 

 it is essential to have personal conferences with those who have in- 

 fluence in producing the necessary amounts. I believe this is abso- 

 lutely true. 



In our work for several years we made a big mistake. We tried 

 to get busy physicians to spend their time in controlling malaria. 

 Now they did splendidly; but we are coming more and more to 

 believe that the malaria problem is a business man's problem; that 

 it is a national problem, not a local problem. We believe that the 

 business men are the men to solve the malaria problem that con- 

 fronts the South and parts of the North. If we get the business 

 men back of us, as they are used to handling big problems, we 

 know that we shall succeed. Is it not possible to get business men 

 at the head of this movement for getting your state aid? They 

 have succeeded in five other states. I do not doubt at all but that 

 if the representatives of the different counties feel that public 

 opinion is strong enough, the funds will be forthcoming. That 

 has happened in other states. 



Last year we had, with the exception of two cities, all of the state 



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